Saturday, March 31, 2012

The
Tompkins County Public Library will host a slam poetry workshop for teens and
tweens facilitated by Ithaca College’s much-acclaimed poetry club Spit That!
Saturday, March 31 at 2:00 PM in the BorgWarner Community Room.

The
workshop, being held to kick-off National Poetry month, will allow participants
to learn from Spit That! members about the process of poetry writing by
expanding on a specific theme, in this instance, fruit. Young poets will
write down all the lore, tastes, textures, colors and other identifying
features of a particular fruit—perhaps one that they identify with—and turn
their free-writes into descriptive poetry.

Spit
That! strives to create a community for students to develop and share their
thoughts through written and spoken word in a comfortable, non-judgmental
environment. Members learn about and spread awareness of sociopolitical
issues through poetry performances and readings throughout the Ithaca
community.

This
program is free and open to the public; however, advance registration is
encouraged. To register, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at (607)
272-4557 extension 248 or cwheeler@tcpl.org.

The
Tompkins County Public Library, in participation with the Finger Lakes
Environmental Film Festival, will host “The Collaborative Web: Using the
Internet to Create a Brighter Future,” a discussion by Swidjit Founder Alex
Colket, Saturday March 31 at Noon in the BorgWarner Community Room.

A
Cornell alum and environmental activist, Colket will discuss how the
internet—through organization, cooperation and unity-- can be used to repair
the environmental, social and economic problems plaguing the nation. His
talk will focus on the emergence of the collaborative economy, a peer-to-peer
marketplace, where technology restores, with ease, old-market behaviors such as
trading, sharing and local currency.

During
this hour-long presentation, Colket will also provide an overview of Swidjit,
his newly-developed social media tool that aims to facilitate the “economy of
the future,” and answer questions from the audience.

Launched
in 1997, The Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival at Ithaca College
embraces and interrogates sustainability across all of its forms: economic,
social, ecological, political, cultural, technological, and aesthetic. For more
information or a schedule of 2012 FLEFF events, visit http://www.ithaca.edu/fleff/FLEFFfilms2012/.

For
more information about Library programs, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at
(607) 272-4557 extension 248 or cwheeler@tcpl.org.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

The Tompkins County League of Women Voters, The History Center and the Tompkins County Public Library will celebrate Women’s History Month with a screening of the HBO Original film “Iron Jawed Angels,” Saturday, March 24 at 1:00 PM in the Library’s BorgWarner Community Room.

“Iron Jawed Angels” tells the true story of activists Alice Paul (Hilary Swank) and Lucy Burns (Frances O’Connor), who took the women’s suffrage movement by storm and risked their lives, friendships and freedom in support of the 19th Amendment.

This program is free and open to the public; however, the film is best suited for viewers 14 and older.

For more information, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at (607) 272-4557 extension 248 or cwheeler@tcpl.org.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

The Tompkins County Public Library will showcase three thought-provoking exhibits during Downtown Ithaca’s Gallery Night Friday, April 6 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM.

Featured exhibits are:

“Perspectives on Homelessness and the Indigent: A Visual Art and Poetry Exhibit”—This timely exhibit, curated by Benn Tedrus Feshbach Nadelman, features the work of 41 visual artists and poets. Among those displaying work are: creative professionals, service and care providers to the indigent, students and members of the indigent community.

The works featured represent a vast range of sociopolitical, demographic and aesthetic perspectives and include art work in all media, as well as poetry.

“The Life and Work of Czeslaw Milosz”—Presented by the Ithaca City of Asylum, this exhibit includes photographs and books provided by former underground publisher Pawel Bakowski and will be on display through April 15.

Milosz’s work was banned in Poland until 1980 when he was awarded the Nobel Prize. At that time, Bakowski and his friends in the underground publishing business, known as NOWa, began printing and distributing his work. NOWa members faced political persecution for their actions, but kept Milosz’s work available throughout the country.

“Celebrating 40 years of Charlotte’s Web” – Presented in conjunction with the Family Reading Partnership’s Big Family Read, TCPL presents an exhibit featuring the papers and photos of E.B. White. This exhibit includes facsimiles of pages from the original manuscript-- on-loan from Cornell University Library’s Rare Book and Manuscript Collection-- and artwork and writings from area students.

Entrance to the Library will be available through the BorgWarner Community Room door, which is located behind the TCAT bus shelter on Green Street and adjacent to Gimme! Coffee.
For more information about these or other Library exhibits, contact Sally Grubb at (607) 272-4557 extension 232 or sgrubb@tcpl.org.

Monday, March 19, 2012

The Tompkins County Public Library will celebrate Women’s History Month with “Creating Word Portraits,” a writing workshop about women, Monday, March 19 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM in the BorgWarner Community Room-West.

Facilitated by Irene “Zee” Zahava, this workshop will provide participants of all ages and genders with the inspiration and encouragement to write about and share stories of the special women in their lives.

Participants are encouraged, but not required, to bring a photograph or keepsake that reminds them of the woman they plan to write about.

Zahava is a writer, poet, publisher and anthologist and the founder of Zee’s Writing Studio.

This program is free and open to the public; however, advance registration is required. To register, contact Zahava at (607) 273-4675 or zee@twcny.rr.com.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Girls in grades five through eight and the special women in their lives are invited to read and discuss books in a judgment-free group setting during the Saturday, March 10 meeting of Tompkins County Public Library’s monthly Mother/Daughter Book Club.

The Mother/Daughter Book Club is facilitated by local children’s author Emily Rhoads Johnson. Johnson is the author of “Spring and the Shadow Man,” “A House Full of Strangers”and“Write Me If You Dare”.

The Club provides a wonderful opportunity for participants to learn about themselves and others by discussing literature. There are no right or wrong answers during Club meetings, simply open discussions where all input is valued.

The group will meet once monthly through May from 3:30 to 4:30 PM in the Library’s Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

The title to be discussed for March is “Tracktown Summer” by local author Elizabeth Holmes.

For more information, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at (607) 272-4557 extension 248 or cwheeler@tcpl.org.

The Tompkins County Public Library will unveil its latest art and poetry exhibit, “Perspectives on Homelessness and the Indigent” Saturday, March 10.

On display throughout the Library, this enlightening exhibit is curated by artist and arts educator Benn Nadelman and features the work of 41 visual artists and poets, representing a vast range of sociopolitical, demographic and aesthetic perspectives. Featured exhibitors include creative professionals, those administering to the indigent and members of the indigent community.

The exhibit will be on display through May 24 and will be highlighted during an opening reception and public forum “The Homeless and Indigent: Causes, Effects and Solutions,” Thursday, April 5 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM in the Library’s BorgWarner Community Room.

The forum will be moderated by Anne Rhodes and includes panelists: City of Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick, John Ward, director of Homeless Services for the American Red Cross of Ithaca and Tompkins County, Jungle resident Joe Lotito, Veteran’s Sanctuary Coordinator Jennifer Pacanowski and Tompkins County Poet Laureate Gail Holst-Warhaft.

Following the panel discussion, Liberian Native Jackie Sayegh-Birch will read her original poetry.

Some pieces featured in the exhibit are available for purchase by contacting the artists directly. Proceeds from the sale of some pieces may be donated by the artists to charitable organizations serving the indigent.

The exhibit will also be featured during Downtown Ithaca’s Gallery Night from 5:00 to 8:00 PM on Friday, April 6.

Friday, March 9, 2012

The Tompkins County Public Library will participate in a community celebration of Cornell Alumnus E.B. White’s famed children’s book, “Charlotte’s Web,” with a family-friendly exhibit including materials on-loan from Cornell University’s Kroch Library Rare Book and Manuscript Collection.

Opening March 9, the exhibit is one of many programs and events being promoted by the Family Reading Partnership in honor of the 60th anniversary of the publication of White’s beloved classic. Featured in the exhibit are: replicas of pages from the original “Charlotte’s Web” manuscript, photographs of White from child and adulthood, artwork White received from children and writings by area elementary students.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Tompkins County Public Library will host a storytelling performance by the Ithaca Area Storytellers, Tuesday, March 6 at 7:00 PM in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

Appropriate for story enthusiasts ages five and older, this program is free and will feature folktales, traditional stories and modern yarns.

The Ithaca Area Storytellers perform at the Library on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM. Anyone interested in finding out more about this informal group--dedicated to furthering the timeless art of storytelling-- is encouraged to attend one of their monthly organizational meetings which are held in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room 30 minutes prior to each Library performance.

Monday, March 5, 2012

The Tompkins County Public Library, in partnership with the Tompkins County Civil War Sesquicentennial Celebration Commission and Cornell University’s Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program, will present “Benevolence and Battles, Nurses and Nationalism: Northern Women and the Civil War,” a lecture by Lori Ginzberg, Monday, March 5 at 6:00 PM in the BorgWarner Community Room.

A lecturer, author and professor, Ginzberg teaches history and women’s studies at Penn State University. She has written four books and numerous articles on the women’s rights movement and its key players, including the recently-released “Elizabeth Cady Stanton: An American Life.”

This program is being presented as part of a five-year partnership between the Library and the Tompkins County Civil War Sesquicentennial Celebration Commission (TCCWSCC) to provide opportunities for community conversation and increased awareness about the Civil War. It is free and open to the public.

For more information about Library programs, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at cwheeler@tcpl.org or (607) 272-4557 extension 248. For information about the Tompkins County Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration Commission, contact Carol Kammen, Tompkins County historian, at ckk6@cornell.edu.

Friday, March 2, 2012

The Tompkins County Public Library will participate in Downtown Ithaca’s First Friday Gallery Night March 2 from 5:00 to 8:00 PMby offering art and poetry lovers a glimpse into the life and work of Nobel Prize-winning poet Czeslaw Milosz.

The exhibit, presented by the Ithaca City of Asylum, will feature books and photographs recording Milosz’ 1981 return visit to Poland, following 30 years of exile to the United States. Pieces included in the exhibit are on loan from Pawel Bakowski. Bakowski hosted literary salons in his home and was a member of NoWa, an underground publishing house based in Warsaw during the Communist regime. He is currently employed by the Cornell Institute for European Studies through their Getting to Know the New Europe community outreach grant, funded by the European Union.

Milosz’ work was banned in Poland until 1980 when he was awarded the Nobel Prize. At that time, Bakowski and his NoWa friends began printing and distributing his work. NoWa members faced political persecution for their actions but kept Milosz' work available throughout the country.

On April 1 at 2:00 PM the Library and the Ithaca City of Asylum will host a celebration of Milosz’ work featuring a reading by members of the local Polish and poetry communities. Bakowski will also give a short account of the story behind the exhibited photos and books.

The exhibit will be on display through April 15.

For more information about this or other exhibits at TCPL, contact Sally Grubb at (607) 272-4557 extension 232 or sgrubb@tcpl.org.